


Damaged ego!

by fangirl2013



Category: The White Queen (TV)
Genre: Break Up, Cheating, F/M, Love, Potential Romance, friends - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-19
Updated: 2014-10-19
Packaged: 2018-02-21 20:39:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2481647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirl2013/pseuds/fangirl2013
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Richard warned her about him and now, she's faced with admitting to him what happened!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Damaged ego!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope this is alright!

Slamming the door loudly, Anne’s anger had finally gotten the better of her. Although, the loud bang that followed made her feel guilty, she quickly pushed that feeling aside. Weariness and unhappiness seemed to swamp her now and all she yearned for was her bed. In her time at Edward’s, she’d longed for her familiar, comfortable bed. In his double bed, her room had seemed childish but nevertheless, she had longed for it all the same. 

Her heavy backpack had begun to dig into her shoulder and at the feeling; she had to let out a loud wince. As she quickly raised a hand to rub her aching shoulder, Anne looked around her old home. The hall seemed quiet and peaceful and despite her anger and unhappiness, a small smile came to her face. 

Oh, how she’d missed her home. Anne’s smile seemed to widen ever so slightly as she realised that nothing had changed in her absence. As messy as the hall appeared to her, it was home. She couldn’t help but feel comforted and happy at the sight of it. 

“George isn’t here, Isabel. He went looking for you!” A familiar voice called to her, breaking into her reverie. 

At the sound, she immediately felt her breath catch in her throat. She knew instantly who it had belonged to and without her own volition, she reacted. Walking towards where the voice had come from, Anne couldn’t help but feel excited. The prospect of seeing Richard again, after so long, made her heart thud erratically in her chest and before she knew it, her palms had begun to feel clammy in anticipation. 

Due to how light her footsteps were, Anne noticed Richard first. A smile appeared on her face as she looked at the young man in front of her. No longer did Richard look like an awkward teenager, as Isabel had described him, but handsome and mature. His curly, unruly hair seemed to have a life of its own and just the sight of it, brought memories of their childhood flooding back to her. 

Breaking the silence that had formed, she told him: “It’s not Isabel.” 

The effect of her words was immediate. Richard turned to look at her, an expression of surprise and happiness on his face as he did so. It took a few moments for him to gather his thoughts to speak and for a few moments, he simply looked at her, smiling. 

“Anne! It’s so good to see you. When did you get back from university?” He asked her finally, getting up from the sofa, where he’d been sitting. 

Richard’s words were full of friendliness and surprise and although, he quickly engulfed her in a hug, Anne couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable. Their last conversation was still fresh on her mind and his warning about Edward made her current situation even worse. How could she admit what had happened with him? 

I can’t, she realised as she looked at her friend in front of her, it would prove him right. 

“A week ago. I had a few things I needed to sort out first before I came home. It’s nice to see you.” She knew she sounded polite as she spoke but she didn’t quite know what to say to him. 

Perhaps Richard felt the same as there was a rather helpless expression on his young handsome face. Nodding slightly to her, he seemed at a loss as to what to say to her too. Anne watched him try and rack his brains and despite the awkwardness, she couldn’t help but feel amused by him. The thoughtful expression on his face seemed at odds with his lively, playful eyes and she had to wonder what Richard would say next. 

When he finally spoke, he left her speechless and shocked. 

“I’m sorry for how I spoke to you, Anne. When you told me you were moving in with Lancaster. I shouldn’t have interfered. It was very wrong of me. “

Although, Anne knew it had been hard for Richard to apologise to her, she saw him relax slightly after he’d spoken, obviously relieved to get it off his chest. 

The sincerity of his words brought a lump to Anne’s throat as she listened to them and as much as she had wanted to hide what had happened with Edward, she knew Richard wouldn’t gloat about being right. Not with her….

“But you were right. He wasn't good for me. ” She broke out to him, her eyes seeming to find the carpet excessively interesting. 

Anne felt Richard’s interested gaze on her, even as she took a seat next to him on the sofa. For a few moments, there was silence as neither person spoke. The concerned expression on Richard’s face told Anne he was worried about her and so as a result, she couldn’t help but expect him to say sorry. He had always been the one to apologise, even if it hadn’t been his fault. 

“I’m sorry. I… I’d hoped for your sake I’d be wrong.” He told her, as he reached out for her hand before squeezing it, gently.

Although, it was her ego Edward had decimated with his actions, Anne still felt her eyes well at Richard’s kind words. The sympathetic expression on her friend’s face seemed to intensify at her tears. Her throat felt thick as she looked at Richard but despite this, she had the oddest desire to explain herself to him. To explain to him that Edward hadn’t broken her heart but her ego….

When moments passed and she still didn’t speak, Richard’s concern seemed to overwhelm him. The expression on his face grew animated and he began to speak once more. This time he seemed to start pacing. 

“Are you alright? Sorry. That’s such a stupid question. Of course not. You’re probably heartbroken because of that arsehole Lancaster.” His words were frenzied as he spoke as if he couldn’t stop himself. 

Despite her tears, his babbling seemed to bring a smile onto her face. Although, she still felt like crying, she couldn’t help but feel happy to be near him. To be able to hear his babbling again. She wanted nothing more than to fling herself into his arms and never let him go. As to why she wanted to do this, Anne wasn’t quite sure. 

“Richard, stop. I’m fine, I think.” She told him, the smile still across her face as she did. 

Richard, at her words, stopped his frantic pacing and turned to look at her. There was a relieved look on his face as he did. Nevertheless, though, he still looked at her questioningly as if he thought she would fall to pieces at any time.

Giving him a soft smile, Anne tried to reassure him she was fine. When her smiling alone wasn’t enough to ease his worry, she knew she’d have to try and reassure him more. She didn’t want him worrying about her. She didn’t deserve it. Not after he’d warned her about Edward. 

“I really am fine, Richard. Edward didn’t break my heart. He only bruised my ego!” She admitted to him, truthfully, thinking of how she’d felt when she’d caught Edward. 

Although, the anger and the hurt had been real, Anne knew she should have felt more than that. The sight of a naked woman underneath Edward should have devastated her but luckily, it hadn’t. It had only left her ego a former shell of what it once was. 

Raising his hand up to cup her face, Richard sighed deeply. 

“Oh, Anne.” He murmured softly, to her, regret clear in his voice. 

The feeling of his palm against her cheek was familiar as it was lovely and Anne couldn’t help but smile at the feeling of it. How many times had he done the exact same thing in the past? Countless times, far too many to mention yet she had never once felt so happy to feel his hand against her skin. 

Closing her eyes, slowly, suddenly feeling tired from her journey, Anne listened to Richard continuing to speak. His voice was soft and comforting and it reminded her of when he’d comforted her as a little girl. 

“I care about your ego, Anne. A very great deal. Don’t let him permanently damage it!”


End file.
